Republic of the Philippines - Stamps and Postal History

Christmas Seals of the Philippines

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THE 1935 QUEZON STRIP SEALS

By Nemy L. Rivera

 

 

The colorful political leader, Manuel L. Quezon (1878 – 1944) had on several occasions demonstrated his steadfast support for the campaign against the White Plague.   

In 1934, when the Philippine Islands Anti-Tuberculosis Society was in financial distress due to the Depression and other adverse factors,  the then Senate Pres. Quezon steered the passage of the Sweepstakes Law that allocated 25% of its proceeds to the Society.  A year later, Quezon, now the first president of the Philippine Commonwealth, authorized the Society to make use of his birthday to generate income.  Thus came about the nationwide Quezon’s Birthday Anti-TB Balls  which were social milestones of that period.  The Post Office even used special slogan mail cancellers to publicize the celebrations.  The issuance of the now rare Quezon’s Birthday strip seals was a corollary activity.  There are no records of who designed and printed these seals or how many were issued.  Existing samples show that the seals were printed in a vertical sheet format, with straight edges at left and right sides and with horizontal roulette 6 1/2 between strips of unknown number per sheet. 

While strictly not Christmas material, the Quezon seals are collected together with Christmas seals, because these were listed in Green’s Catalog of the Tuberculosis Seals of the World, considered by many as the Bible of Christmas seal collectors.  These are listed under Philippine Islands  as # 2.1 (for the pale blue type) and # 2.2 (for the brown type).  For reasons not known, the brown type is now scarcer and much more difficult to obtain than the blue type.

 

 

Articles by Nemy L. Rivera

 

 

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